President: The shipyard cranes are our Statue of Liberty
“It was worth it to have participated in the Solidarity movement, it was worth it to take the chance, and it was worth it to act decently not for oneself only but for Poland and for us all,” President Bronisław Komorowski said during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Solidarity movement which took place on Sunday in Szczecin.
“I am glad that I can address all those who came to Szczecin to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Solidarity and the ten million, for this was our number back then, when Solidarity was created and began its glorious, and victorious struggle for the freedom of us all,” President Komorowski said.
He added that we can now rejoice and take pride in the heroic memory of the struggle against a malicious regime. “And we can proudly recall the fact that we managed to find a way which not only led us to victory but also ensured that it was a wise change. We may cherish and remember the days that resulted in agreements which became the foundation of the Third Polish Republic,” emphasised Komorowski.
The President also remarked that while standing close to a monument of freedom recalling times when Polish blood was spilt, we also stand by a Polish statue of liberty. “Americans have their Statue of Liberty but we also have a grand and magnificent monument to freedom – the cranes in the shipyard and in the harbour, visible even from far away, testify that we were able to raise our country high indeed. Their height symbolises that, from this height, we can see all that perturbs and aches us, all that is the concern of the state of Poland and every one of its citizens,” Komorowski said.
The President, standing by the monument at the anniversary of the Gdańsk Agreement, added that the cranes are not only a monument to the struggle for freedom but also to the ability to make agreements.
Komorowski stressed that trade unions “should pursue their mission in cooperation with the authorities.” He announced that he supports social dialogue as the most effective method of solving even the most difficult of problems.
”Trade unions,” he continued, “have to fulfil their mission, determined by the tradition of the Gdańsk Agreement, by striving for employee rights and in dialogue with the authorities.”
He added that trade unions must always be the first to fight for employee rights. He also remarked, “I believe that it would be good if they were not the first to fight as far as politics is concerned.”